Unigestion Holding SA Lowers Stock Holdings in Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG)

Unigestion Holding SA decreased its position in shares of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG - Free Report) by 9.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,155 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,369 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Principal Financial Group were worth $3,472,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Principal Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Principal Financial Group by 144.3% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 540 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. 75.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on PFG. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays cut their target price on Principal Financial Group from $80.00 to $76.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Principal Financial Group from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $93.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Principal Financial Group from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $83.85.

Principal Financial Group Stock Performance

Principal Financial Group stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $75.94. 1,189,259 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,324,407. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.03 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.01. Principal Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.39 and a fifty-two week high of $91.98.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by ($0.02). Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 9.74%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Principal Financial Group, Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Principal Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.10%.

About Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group, Inc provides retirement, asset management, and insurance products and services to businesses, individuals, and institutional clients worldwide. The company operates through Retirement and Income Solutions, Principal Asset Management, and Benefits and Protection segments. The Retirement and Income Solutions segment provides retirement, and related financial products and services.